Fashion For Good

GET DIRTY FOR CLEAN WATER: Nicaragua Update

Geography, Water for Nicaragua:
The mission was designed after a month of due diligence in November 2013. It’s simple: get clean water to every SINGLE person who needs it. Broken into phases, it focuses on 150 rural schools and 40 small, rural health clinics. The implementation and education components of Phase One included six weeks of travel and stay at predetermined barrios (neighborhoods). In total, 300 filters were provided to three communities.

Impact
Broken into phases, we focused on rural schools and small, rural health clinics. The implementation and education components of Phase One included three weeks of travel and in-the-field trainings at designated impoverished barrios communities. In total, 300 filters were provided to 8 communities with the primary focus and efforts concentrated in the 3 Barrio Communities surrounding the city of Matagalpa in Northern Interior Nicaragua (about 3 hours north of Managua). Since each filter life has the capacity to provide up to a million gallons of clean, drinkable water, we focused on schools, community centers, and households with wells that will act as a water depot and provide clean potable water for the surrounding families and health, malaria, and maternal health clinics.Over the three week course of Hatch Phase One, 300 filters were distributed & clean water education water practices implemented for an impact of up to 55,000 persons with a focus on education and sanitation

MATAGALPA – CAMM – Jenny Perez

Barrio Susuma – 80 Filters
We implemented filters at the church run by Dona Ana and her husband. The school and community kitchen are located on the same grounds. Filters were provided for the school and the school community kitchen with all remaining filters given to families with wells and or households of over 20 persons (in Nicaragua extended families often live in groups of houses together). Available water sources include wells, water trucks (pippas), and rivers during the rainy season.

Barrio Maria Sor Romero – 80 Filters
Our training and implementation location was the local church in the heart of this barrio of roughly 2,000 families. The barrio has three schools- 1 Pre K and 2 Primary schools where approximately 230 primary students attend. The secondary students attend school on Saturday. We provided filters to each of the schools and the designated CAMM families with extended households, elderly, pregnant or otherwise vulnerable. This barrio is located next to the sewage holding tank. Its major water source is the water truck (pippa). The schools have a rain catching apparatus, but they are experiencing a drought. Accessing water from the local river is not an option and the “pippa” water is not potable. There are occasional wells, but they are isolated.

Barrio Santa Emilia – 80 Filters
We trained and implemented at the Church on the main road. Santa Emilia is about 45 minutes north of Matagalpa. A community in the lower mountains above the coffee plantations. Filters were distributed to the Pastor, School and Community Leaders–also referred to as “Maestros”. Maestros are those in the community that always look out for others, which is aligned with our “help the helpers” vision, globally. The remaining filters were distributed to families designated by the Pastor as those with wells and/or as those that are large families with some water access via mountain streams, or the physically vulnerable.

Los Florides – 5 Filters – Ricardo
We trained and implemented 5 filters at this small rural church in the mountains south of Matagalpa. This community is a vibrant self-sustaining community high above the coffee plantations. Its water source comes from streams, which collects in a large tank that is then piped to each house and the two schools. The drought has affected them and they have limited water access. We
demonstrated the clean water system to the community and met with the “maestros” (community leaders). The filters are being utilized by the school and the church, which also, has a community feeding program. This community is an excellent prospect for future programs since almost every household has a “llave” (faucet), there are small gardens and community outreach. Possible assistance could be in the form of materials to support the leaders to build a second tank for water storage and for filters and adapters.

Barrio Was Wali – 5 Filters
Barrio Was Wali is located just north of Matagalpa and we visited to evaluate potential for future programs. This barrio is located on the outskirts of the federal jail and is a very large barrio of over 3,000. We had the local pastor with us and were able to implement filters at a household that provides 24 families with bathing water. The well owner was already helping his community and we were able to help him provide further. The other 4 filters were given to the pastor for at-risk families. This area is a good candidate for future development. Water sources are wells, Pippa (water truck) and river in rainy season.

GRANADA- Edna Medina – Mauricio Lacayo

Barrio Los Pussias – 15 Filters
Las Prussias is a mid-size barrio located on the outskirts of Granada. Edna had identified the school and surrounding community as a good candidate for filters. We trained and implemented at the Las Prussias Primary school with approximately 120 students. The building is utilized as a secondary school on the weekends. We were able to train the Profesora and a small team. Five filters were distributed that day, the remaining ten filters were distributed to families in the communities with large households and
wells.

Isletas -Granada – 15 Filters – Edna Medina
Isletas is a group of 75 islands on Lake Nicaragua at the base of Volcano Mombacho buffer zone and on the outskirts of the City of Granada. Half of these islands are inhabited by fisherman and their families with virtually zero access to potable drinking water. We gained accessed these islands via panga and were able to evaluate, train and implement as well as have a group demonstration with families designated by Edna. We later implemented at the Ranger station atop Mombacho to provide the rangers with clean potable water.

Nandaime – Dr Javier Ruiz – 10 Filters
Dr Ruiz is a holistic health practitioner who comes from a traditional health background with a sliding scale health clinic and maternal heath clinics in the Nandaime communities of Espirtu De Santo and El Mancho. We trained and implemented with Dr. Ruiz at both clinics and left 8 filters for him to distribute to his at-risk patients. The partnership with Dr. Ruiz provides us with a clear path for tracking and data controls for our efforts in the Granada and Nandaime areas. He has both the firsthand knowledge and the medical background to maximize these systems.

RIVAS

Las Salinas De Nuahualpa – 10 Filters – Apprender
Las Salinas is an indigenous community just above Popoyo with a health clinic and a developmental program called Apprender, founded and run by Gabriele Prado and James Womak of Equilibrio. Apprenderservices the community and surrounding schools and clinics with education,vocational training and learning programs for all ages. We trained and implemented filters with the “Maestro” of the community whose well services 37 families. Many of the wells in this area are not sweet water (ague dulce) but have saltwater wells from the flats. Additionally, because of the drought, this well is being rationed and is low. Both the community president and local leader were present for the training. Community members in this region, have been designated for future programs. Filters were also implemented at the local Centro de Salud (health clinic) and at three area schools.

HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?

• Spread the word! #GETDIRTYFORCLEANWATER

• Be a part of the GET DIRTY FOR CLEAN WATER fundraiser events: fashionforgood@hatchinc.com

WATER SITUATION IN NICARAGUA:

Nicaragua is the poorest country in Central America. In rural areas, 40% of the population earns $1 a day. In addition to poverty, there is no access to affordable clean water. Women are the forefront of this problem. Everyday, mothers and young girls travel to get water for their families. The water paths are long and dangerous. These women are also missing out on an education and a future. Access to clean water frees them from this cycle. It allows for new opportunities in women’s education and employment and gives them greater autonomy and independence.

ABOUT Waves for Water:Waves for Water is a non-profit organization founded by Jon Rose. Waves for Water works on the front-line to provide aid and clean water to communities in need around the world. The mission is simple: To get clean water to every single person who needs it.